TheHaflinger.com

Searching for any information on modifications for river crossings.

Ideally I would like to increase the fording depth to 500mm.

This extra 100mm would make a big difference in available destinations in the Victorian high country through the year.

Rather than trying to waterproof a distributor, I would be prepared to change to electronic ignition with low voltage pickups which could be sealed easily.

Any other problems anticipated such as breathers for the differentials ?

Cheers,

Rob

There is a drain hole on the bottom of the clutch bell housing which should be plugged with an 6mm bolt prior to fording.
Changing the distributor to an electronic one won't help unless you seal the the distributor cap to body joint as the rest of the distributor will just fill up with water, not only will that have an effect on the advance / retard mechanism. It will also allow water into the crank case if not emptied out.

Spark plugs would also be under water so they would need sealing somewhat.

There are two other parts which might needs some attention when doing any fording, the brakes and the hubs - When i rebuilt the front left hand hub of Lurch when I first bought him, there was water inside the hub instead of oil - had to replace the bearings obviously.
Brakes drums ought to come off after such adventures to allow you to clean all the "mud and muck" that will end up in there.

I am sure others will post their thoughts at some point.

John

while I do not guarantee this will work for you , I have driven through water deep enough to get a wet bum .
at the correct speed you get a "bubble" form at the rear , like some beetles swimming in water .
all I did was a very good spray of WD40 or similar to electrics .
kerry

I think a Haffie with standard under engine tinwear will be able to ford 500mm - similar to a normal front engine car with a radiator blind, not a lot of water will go into the engine bay.

However the issue will be if you stop and then the engine bay will just fill up. I have a few 4wds and wherever possible I steer clear of water as it will often turn to disaster (I drowned a new Suzuki Sierra 30 years ago on Fraser Is and my 101 got stopped in the mountains nearby). I have crossed Tom Groggin on the Murray River a number of times in the 101 and the last time a new Colarado and a Hilux ended in 6 feet of water just by taking a different line.

The Haflinger is a small vehicle and no matter what you do can really only cover small fords - if you need to cross certain creeks on a regular basis then maybe building up the crossings with some rocks.

As you would appreciate creeks rise and fall quickly in your part of the world and there is always a risk of getting into a valley when it is dry and after it rains not being able to get out for a few days.

So with a haffie I would be taking some extra gear - like duct tape to tape up the engine body work surrounds and maybe some PVC pipe to plug into the air intake to make a snorkle. The usual other recovery gear such as a winch, maxtracs would also help.

Garry

Gary , totally agree . some very valid points I did not mention .

I must ad . it is surprising how waterproof petrol motors can be .
but they are not a bloody submarine , even if some people do treat them like one .

kerry

Thanks for the tips.

I really just wanted some extra margin. In muddy water there is always a hole to be discovered even after walking the crossing first.

I have had to replace transfer case and hub bearings on a Toyota FJ40 even after a knee deep crossing since they did not see fit to install breathers from new !

For this reason I now let everything cool down before taking the plunge !

I must spend some more time underneath the Haffy observing !

Cheers,

Rob

Found this for you to look at:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNGea7ravQ8

John

Rob wrote:since they did not see fit to install breathers from new !

For this reason I now let everything cool down before taking the plunge !

I haven't spotted any breathers on my Haffie, let alone breather extensions - you need a Landrover for them as standard

garrycol wrote:

Rob wrote:since they did not see fit to install breathers from new !

For this reason I now let everything cool down before taking the plunge !

I haven't spotted any breathers on my Haffie, let alone breather extensions - you need a Landrover for them as standard

or a G Wagen that has them as standard .
always a good idea to let things cool if you can , oil seals allow water in very easily .

kerry